As my fellow Panheads (aka Skillet fans) know, Jen Ledger, the drummer, has recently started her own band while continuing to work with Skillet. This new band, called LEDGER, recently released its six-song debut EP.
Now that I’ve finally given them all a listen, I decided that a post ranking them would be a fun way to both promote the EP and share my passion with my audience. Even though this blog is centered around writing, I will have my asides. [And in fact, since I often select theme songs for my chapters and stories and have also written a fanfiction short about Skillet before, there are multiple connections in my work between writing and music.]
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Thoughts on the Album
Before I give you the ranking, which will be in the form of a video list, I’d like to share my thoughts on the overall EP and this move on Jen’s part.
To be clear, there’s not a bad song among them.
The Voice
It’s been great to see Jen’s own unique style coming out. And because she’s always had such a strong, powerful, clear voice, audibly speaking, I actually love what she’s done to balance it out. It’s comparable to when you have people who are amazing belters or riffers. As much as those skills can make an impact and take a performance to the next level, there’s also a danger of either using them as a crutch, or just plain overusing them, which actually decreases their power.
In Jen’s case, she’s balanced things out by also showcasing a much softer, silkier form of her voice that I’m not used to hearing. And guess what? It’s absolutely mesmerizing. In fact, it’s one of my favorite things about the Ledger EP.
In Jen's case, she's balanced things out by also showcasing a much softer, silkier form of her voice that I'm not used to hearing. And guess what? It's absolutely mesmerizing.Click To TweetIt’s also something that I feel helps distinguish the album from her work with the gang and showcases her unique style.
The Music
Of course, I think the music is an even bigger distinguisher. I can definitely get that pop side that Jen discussed in her interview with Billboard.
The really nice thing is that I feel her musical style also has that definite rock element, but also feels like something different from the other rock music I’ve listened to. I think it’s largely the level of pop music and the spiritual genre/subgenre. It reminded me of some of the more mainstream pop music you’ll hear, but with an uplifting side that’s generally absent from such music.
Ultimately, I feel like the music of Skillet and LEDGER is actually very complementary. There’s overlap, but each also has a different feel and style, and they’ve hit this beautiful sweet spot of working together to cover a fuller spectrum of music. And of course I’m very glad that Jen is also continuing to work with Skillet, both as a member of the band and by having them involved in her own separate career.
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Musings for The Future
Ahh, and I feel it’s worth mentioning one thing people had mentioned about Skillet’s more recent music:
People felt that Jen was being featured too often. What I saw wasn’t coming from a place of dislike, mind you! Instead it was the very thing I referenced earlier in this post: The fact that overusing a special element can lessen its power. It used to be that Jen was featured more selectively, which made it more exciting when we got to hear her sing. I actually agree with that—and that’s as someone who adores her voice and thinks that it works perfectly as a stark contrast to John’s. (Korey also has a lovely voice that I feel lies somewhere between the two.)
Indeed, Jen’s voice is one of the biggest reasons I’ve always loved this acoustic performance of Rise at Billboard’s studio—with the more subdued music, her voice shines through with all the more clarity. It’s haunting in the best of ways.
[Video posted by Billboard]
I’m hoping that with the work Jen’s doing with her own band now, perhaps they’ll ease off on Skillet’s side of things and improve the balance between giving her chances to shine as a singer and using her as their secret weapon, if you will. And since Jen’s not the drummer in Ledger, I feel her musical work in Skillet as a highly impressive and inspiring female drummer deserves particular respect.
As I final note, I’d like to make a little request here. If anyone knows of a song that featured only the two ladies of the band, please let me know! And if not…I really hope either Skillet or LEDGER will get on it and have a vocal collab between Korey and Jen, sans John. As wonderfully as John and Jen’s voices work together, I’d also really love the chance to hear this collab as well, and I don’t think I’m the only one! In fact, I think I saw someone else suggest this idea before myself!
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The List!
Alright, time for you guys to see which order I’ve decided on. It definitely took some work to choose between such phenomenal songs, but, despite the fact that I’m a very lyrics-focused chick, I decided to simplify things by using the audio-focused elements—vocals and music—and mostly leaving the lyrics out of the decision. I figured that if I tried to also factor in the lyrics I’d never get this done! It was definitely a very visceral process.
So without further ado, here’s the list! For your convenience I decided to use lyric videos for it, but please do keep in mind that there are some errors and typos to be found, though I was selective about which videos I settled on.
6. Warrior
[Posted by ArmaganBKLC]
5. Not Dead Yet
[Posted by Princess Saldon]
4. Ruins
[Posted by soem1997]
3. Foreigner
[Posted by ArmaganBKLC]
2. Iconic
[Posted by SmileRaNger]
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And Here Is My Number-One Pick!
1. Bold
[Posted by ArmaganBKLC]
Now it’s time to hear from the audience! How would YOU rank the songs? Let me know in the comments!
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